Free Parking at Fort Derussy Beach Park

The same information can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/free-parking-at-fort-derussy-beach-park

Fort Derussy Beach Park is one of my favorite beaches in Honolulu.  I think it's better than Waikiki because it's less crowded, it's dog friendly, and there are just as many activities to do with convenient shops right along the beach.  This beach often gets overlooked because it's in between Ala Moana Beach Park and Waikiki, but it's definitely worth checking out because it's a beautiful beach.  There is a reason why Hilton Hawaiian Village is located right there near Fort Derussy.

The problem is parking.  It's there, but it's very expensive.  I was shelling out quarters for street parking on Saratoga Rd.  OK, so you're rich, and you don't mind, but there are like 10 spaces to accommodate 100 people wanting to get to the beach.  If you're lucky, or you go early in the morning on the weekdays, you might find a space open.

Another parking spot is the military parking along Kalia Rd, which is open to the public as well, but this is very expensive as well.  Military personnel get something like a dollar discount per hour so it's 3 bucks an hour for parking instead of 4.  You figure if you lay your life on the line for your country, the parking is going to be free, but what do I know.

There is also a parking structure across the street from the Hale Koa Hotel.  It's just as expensive as the military parking.  See the map below for clarification:

Here's where you should park:

To get there, you should take Kalakaua in to Waikiki, then make a right on Ala Moana Blvd, and a left on Kahanamoku St, right before the Ilikai Hotel.  Keep going on Kahanamoku, and take a left at the end of the street.  Keep going for a while, and then park at the lot located on the left at the end of the street or at the harbor.  You can also google Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and get google map directions there.

Once you are there, be careful and read the signs because there are deceptive parking areas that are PAID parking, intermingled with the free parking, and you do not want to get ticketed, or worse, towed.

So, the free parking takes you on the other side of the beach, but it's a short walk to the park, and you get to see all of the fancy hotels and their beach side restaurants and bars as you walk along.  Oh, there's the beautiful beach too.  Now you can come here every day without worrying about paying for parking!

Sunset at Fort Derussy Beach Park

North Shore Huli Huli Chicken, Kahuku Shrimp

The same information can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/north-shore-huli-huli-chicken-kahuku-shrimp

One of the great pleasures of Oahu is the food.  There are many places to choose from, which sometimes presents a problem for people who are not familiar with the reputation of the restaurants.  Even harder is finding good food served in an establishment that is not even permanent.

Huli huli chicken is one of the great foods you will find on Oahu that fits the latter category.  Huli huli chicken is basically rotisserie barbecued chicken. 

Huli Huli Setup:

Served usually out of temporary barbecue carts set up in the parking lot on weekends only, it can be hard to figure out when, where, and which huli huli chicken to buy.  I have had huli huli chicken from the Marukai parking lot at Ward, and at Manoa Shopping Center, but I'm telling you, Ray's huli huli chicken in the North Shore next to Malama's market is by far, the best.

Malama's:

Ray's:

Get the chopped whole chicken.  They take cash only, and it's about $10 a chicken, so bring enough cash to buy enough.  

Chopped Whole Chicken:

This place is by far, the best.  They are open for business only on the weekends during lunch.  The latest I got my huli on was at 4PM, and I think they were about ready to close shop. If you get there, and it's just an empty dirt parking lot, you missed them and you missed the crazy deliciousness of the best huli huli chicken on the island.  Again, my friend Tim and his wife Rosanna introduced me to this establishment.  If it weren't for them, I would have never driven 45 minutes from town to the country, just to get huli huli chicken. 

For the best Kahuku shrimp, go to Romy's Shrimp Shack.  Get the garlic shrimp.  Well worth the wait, and definitely an experience.  Go check out the pictures on Yelp.  This information is also courtesy of Tim and Rosanna.  Thanks guys!

Panorama Feature on my Digi Cam

Sand Island

Laie Beach Park

Laie Point State Wayside

Laie Point State Wayside

Koolina

Koolina

Mokuleia Beach

Bellows Beach Park

Bellows Beach Park

Ekuhai Beach Park

Waimea Bay

Shark's Cove

Vog Alert!?!?!?!

Vog has been forecasted for March 10 - 12, 2013.  Please be careful out there!

The same information can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/vog-alert

So, I guess there is a vog alert today in Oahu.  Being relatively new to the area, this was a first for me.  I didn't even know what a "vog" is, so I did a little googling.  It turns out this is volcanic dust/ash cloud from Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island that rides the winds and wreaks havoc on lungs.  Simply, vog = volcanic fog.  Actually, it looks like just another smoggy morning in Southern California...

The vog is expected to last from today (10/9/2012) through Thursday (10/11/2012), which is the same time the jellyfish invasion is happening.  The advice I heard on the radio was simple; stay indoors, and run the air conditioner.  I guess the air conditioner usually has an air filter that will filter out some of the vog particles from the air.  

I found another page that has 10 useful tips on how to minimize the effects of vog:

http://www.oahuhealthguide.com/healthtalk/display.htm?id=47&hhsid=d..

I guess this is a recurring problem on the Big Island, and it's an infrequent problem in Maui, but never a problem in Oahu or Kauai.  I guess this instance we are currently experiencing is a rarity, but it's always good to be informed.  

In any case, please try to stay safe, stay indoors, and keep your air fresh.  Talk about breaking the aloha spirit; a vog alert, and a jellyfish invasion at the same time will do the trick.  

Jellyfish on the Leeward Coast

The same content on this blog can be found on:

https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/jellyfish-on-the-leeward-coast

9 - 10 days after every full moon, for about 3 days, there is a box jellyfish invasion on theLeeward Coast (from Kaena Point, to Waianae, to Barber's Point, to Ewa Beach) andSouth Shore (Ewa Beach, to Ala Moana, Waikiki, Hawaii Kai, Hanauma Bay, to Makapuu Beach).  The invasions are pretty consistent, and the jellyfish authority here on Oahu have been able to predict them pretty well.  It's best to stay out of the water in Waikiki, Ala Moana, Hanauma Bay, and other popular South Shore spots during this time.  If you're planning your vacation, as inconvenient and silly as it sounds, it's best to plan your vacation around the jellyfish's schedule.  

Check this calendar link below to plan your outings/vacations to the Leeward Coast and South Shore areas:

http://www.to-hawaii.com/jellyfishcalendar.html

There are 2 main types of jellyfish in Hawaii:
box jellyfish, more dangerous when stung - these are the primary jellyfish that invade during the days marked on the calendar
portuguese man-o-war, still hurts, but not as dangerous as the box jellyfish - mostly found on the Windward Coast (east facing shores on Oahu)
To give you some kind of perspective, (movie spoiler alert:) remember that movie in which Will Smith kills himself to donate his body parts?  He used box jellyfish to kill himself.  

My friend, while at Waimanalo Beach, had a portuguese man-o-war wrap itself twice around his neck.  He delicately unwrapped it with his bare hands.  He had a slightly red rash where he was stung on his neck, but he was fine in a day or two.  

I have always observed the jellyfish calendar, and have never gotten stung.  

Just a side note, while we are on the subject of jellyfish, on the Windward Coast, which includes my favorite body boarding spots, Bellows Field Beach Park, and Waimanalo Beach Park, the portuguese man-o-war is always present.  I have gone there many times with my wife, but we have never been stung by the portuguese man-o-war.  A local there gave me tips on how to avoid the portuguese man-o-war on the Windward Coast.  

1. Check the beach and make sure there are no jellyfish lying around on the sand.  If there are jellyfish on the sand, then they are sure to be in the water.  
2. Avoid high surf days.
3. If you're in the water, look beyond the breaking point of the waves.  If you see jellyfish floating on the other side of the break, get out quick.
4. When in doubt, talk to the lifeguard.  If he's treated a bunch of people for stings, then it's probably not a good idea to go in.

Hope that helps.  Stay safe, and don't mess around with these jellyfish.  

Bodyboarding at Bellows Beach Park

Please note that the same information can be found on:
https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/bodyboarding-at-bellows-beach-park

For beginners of body boarding, Bellows Field Beach Park, a beach slightly north of Waimanalo Beach Park, is highly recommended. This is a good place to get started, as the waves are always a nice size, the waves are always consistently present, the water is shallow, the sand is fluffy, and it's just so God dang beautiful. The only problem with this beach is that it is only open on the weekends, from Friday afternoon, to Sunday evening. If you wander in to the beach accidentally when they are not open, a polite, but scary looking Military Security guy will come up to you and ask you to leave.

Optimum body boarding conditions are when surf heights are waist to chest or above. The quality of the surf may be clean, fair, or choppy without affecting conditions too much. This is a shore break so it does not matter much. Tide conditions are negligible, so you can go any time and expect pretty good conditions.

Today's Surf Information:

Go to the East (Hauula) Oahu, HI surf forecast.

Video of Bellows Field Beach Park:

Video of me body boarding at Bellows Field Beach Park:

Tips and Tricks on Finding a Good Spot to Body Board at Bellows Field Beach Park:
In order to ride the wave with your body board, you want to jump with the wave right when it breaks, so finding a spot where the wave breaks is important. Your body also needs to be out of the water in order to get a good jump into the breaking waves, so finding a shallow spot is important as well. The way to spot these is by observing the ocean water from the beach.

First, finding a good break:
After a nice sized wave breaks, it usually leaves a trace of water bubbles in a triangular shape with one tip of the triangle in the ocean. Find that tip of the triangle, and you have just found the breaking point of the wave. Find a spot where the wave breaks far from the shore to enjoy longer rides on the wave. The larger the bubble trace size usually indicates larger sized waves that will break for longer rides.

Second, finding a shallow spot:
Just take a look at the color of the water. The force of the waves tend to mix up the sand in the water, so the shallower a place is, the more sandy the water looks.

In summary, find the tip of a bubble triangle far from shore that has sandy colored water. Stand there until a good wave comes, and jump in! I hope that helps. Good luck riding the waves!

Blog will be continued on web site

After consideration, I've decided that a web site format is easier for people to navigate to the information that is pertinent to them.  So, I've created a web site for the information that I was going to present in this blog.  For topics that are not already on this blog, please go to:

https://sites.google.com/site/shoheisoahutips/

Thanks for your patience.

Snorkel Goggle Anti-Fogging Plant

If you're an avid snorkeler like my wife and I, we all know that the snorkeling experience can differ vastly by how well you can keep your snorkel goggles defogged.  Basically, your enjoyable snorkeling time will end when your goggle fog up.  

So, beware when you buy a snorkel goggle defogger because not all anti-fogs are created equal.  The best store bought anti-fog I have come across is Spit.  

Just spray this on your goggles, rub them in to the lens with your fingers, then rinse with ocean water.  Be careful not to rub the lens after you rinse, as this will decrease the anti-fog ability.  Do not get the Neptune brand anti-fog spray.  Although it's cheap, it works for a couple of minutes, and then your goggles fog up, and your snorkeling experience is ruined after that.  See, I thought I was being smart possessing this anti-fogging knowledge and all.  Wrong!

After going through obtaining knowledge of all of that, I learned that you don't need all of this stuff to anti-fog your goggles.  This picture below is of the naupaka plant.  These plants are usually plentiful on Hawaiian beaches.  

Notice the oval shaped leaves, and more importantly, the uniqueness of the flowers.  The most unique feature about this plant is that the flowers look like they have been cut in half.  

To anti-fog your goggles, you can take a couple of the leaves of the naupaka plant, crush them with your hands, and then rub the leaf juice into your goggles.  This works wonders to keep your goggles defogged.  My friend Tim taught me about this and I was dumb founded because all this time, I was paying like $15 for a tiny bottle of Spit.  Looking back, I'm thinking that all of the locals were probably thinking "Dumb tourists!" when I was spraying my goggles with expensive Spit, while I was thinking "I'm such an experienced snorkeler!"  Lesson learned.  Seriously though, the locals are all very friendly, and they were probably too polite to tell me that I was being an idiot and wasting my money.  

Having said that, it's always good to keep a bottle of Spit around because you will occasionally come across a beach park without the naupaka plant growing on the side.

Happy snorkeling!

Oahu/Honolulu Topics I Will Be Covering in My Blog

I don't know how long this will take me, but I plan on covering these helpful tidbits for living in Oahu/Honolulu in the future.  These are all information that I feel would have been helpful in getting in and around Oahu/Honolulu when I first started living here. Hope it helps and entertains at the same time.

1. snorkel goggle defogger plant
2. turning left on to McCully Ave
3. Kapiolani Blvd during rush hour
4. free parking for Fort Derussy Beach
5. free parking for waikiki beach
6. unavailability of mainland banks
7. small cars are your best friend in Honolulu
8. Costco situation
9. Royal Hawaiian parking, best way to get there
10. Walmart situation/parking tips
11. Ala Moana Center easy in/easy out/parking tips
12. When to avoid driving the 1
13. Eastbound 1 and the Vineyard bypass
14. best lane on Kalakaua Ave if you want to drive through
15. body boarding near the Wall in Waikiki
16. body boarding at Bellows Beach Park
17. North Shore huli huli chicken, Kahuku shrimp
18. tide/swell/surf information and the recommended ocean activities
19. jellyfish on the Leeward Coast

I will probably be adding more topics. I just hope I get to finish them all soon.

For my restaurant reviews, I have reviewed several restaurants in yelp.com. Please visit my reviews at yelp for information.  

Thanks for reading! Mahalo, and aloha.

Sea Turtle Collection

I just realized that my wife Miyako and I bought all kinds of stuff in Hawaii with sea turtles on it.  I didn't know it, but I think this is the start of a collection.  I thought I'd put this together for fun. Most of these items were bought at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.

Turtle Car Seat Covers:

Turtle Beach Towels:

Turtle Slippers:

Turtle Decorative Tile:

Turtle Cushion Covers:

Turtle Curtains:

Turtle Bowl:

Turtle Dolls:

Turtle Bags:

Turtle Caps:

The ever important Turtle Fanny Pack:

Turtle Picture Album:

Turtle Picture Frames:

Turtle Backpack, Wallets, Coin Holder, Shoulder Purse, Sun Glass Holder, Organizer:

Turtle Mugs:

Turtle T-Shirts:

Turtle Tank Tops: